Masunaga eyewear

You could say that Masunaga Optical is the eyewear maker’s eyewear maker – not for nothing has it won a prestigious Silmo d’Or award – an eyewear Oscar – for the past two years. Founded more than 100 years ago in Fukui, Japan, it has made glasses for everyone from Emperor Hirohito to Robert De Niro, and its long history of technical and design ingenuity surely puts it among the pantheon of glasses greats.
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The company’s founder, Gozaemon Masunaga, was instrumental in putting Japan at the forefront of global eyewear manufacture in the 20th century. In 1905 he set up Masunaga Optical in the Sabae City area of the Fukui prefecture on the west coast of Japan – an area already known for its traditional crafts such as kimono weaving, lacquerware and pottery. He brought in skilled craftsmen and trained local farm workers who needed employment during the winter months – but also encouraged a guild-style arrangement in which the most experienced artisans retained a large degree of autonomy and were free to build their own businesses. This encouraged diversity, created further employment and attracted more craftsmen to the area, whose reputation soon started to flourish.
And just as Japanese companies such as Sony, Toshiba and Panasonic led the way in electronic innovation during the second half of the 20th century, so Masunaga went from strength to strength, utilising Japanese expertise in the miniaturisation of components and development of high-tech materials to create Masunaga glasses and Masunaga sunglasses of an ever higher quality.
Today, Sabae is still considered one of the world’s most important centres of eyewear innovation and manufacture – 90% of optical frames sold in Japan are made here – and many of the most luxurious global brands, including Dita, Linda Farrow eyewear and Barton Perreira eyewear, use Japanese materials and craftsmanship to create their products.
Still at the very heart of things, Masunaga has retained its place among Japan’s most desirable eyewear brands. It is the only company in Japan that has one factory in charge of all 200 of the manual processes that go into making Masunaga glasses and Masunaga sunglasses – an integrated system that ensures that every step is meticulously carried out by highly skilled artisans who are renowned for their eye for detail and fastidious workmanship. But, alongside this traditional approach to manufacturing, it continues to experiment with new technologies and techniques, continually devising new ways to combine traditional Japanese materials and skills with high-tech methods. One award-winning Masunaga glasses design uses a brand new welding process that combines beta-titanium with 18-karat gold and features rims made from titanium overlaid with bamboo; while a pair of Masunaga sunglasses brings solid black acetate rims together with delicately engraved silver accents inspired by art deco jewellery. Japanese acetate is considered among the world’s best and Masunaga’s range of colours and effects – two-tone, laminated layers, ombre shading – showcases its considerable skill with this strong and versatile material.
While new collections are revealed every year, Masunaga Optical’s classic designs remain available and their enduring popularity is a testament to their timeless appeal. Their elegant proportions and clean lines are sophisticated and flattering – and with 100 years of Japanese expertise behind them, we wouldn’t expect anything less.